Goodnight, Chat Noir
by mej14
Summary: Marinette and Adrien keep having nightmares about losing their respective crime-fighting partners. Ladybug and Chat Noir have a heart to heart about it. Rated T for suggested death/loss. All around angsty.


Chat Noir was quietly perched on the edge of their usual meeting place when Ladybug swooped in. His ears perked up at her arrival, but he did not move his gaze from the city below them. Ladybug sat down next to him with a sigh.

"Hey."

"Hey."

They sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity. It was only 3 minutes, tops. Ladybug glanced at her partner with a concerned look on her face. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, trying to figure out the right words to start with. Chat didn't let her find them.

"You've been having the nightmares too, haven't you", he said. It was postured as a question, but they both knew it was a fact.

"Yeah." Marinette hadn't been sleeping well at all for the past week, and it had been taking its toll. Her mask hid the bags under her eyes, but it couldn't disguise her diminishing posture or the tiredness of her voice. She tentatively laid her head on Chat's shoulder.

"Tikki said that it's just part of the job. They don't really mean much. It's stress." Ladybug's voice wavered. She would never doubt her kwami, but her dreams were too realistic to be brushed off that easily. It was unnerving.

"Plagg said the same thing." Chat responded. He turned his head slightly and rested his chin on Ladybug's head. He breathed deeply.

"You tell me yours, I'll tell you mine?" He said with a grin. Ladybug looked up at him and gave him a feeble smile. Chat wrapped his arm around her shoulder as she leaned into his chest.

"You go first", she murmured. Chat looked back out onto the city of Paris. It was breathtaking at night, especially from all the way up where they were.

"I didn't get to you in time", he finally breathed, "I couldn't take the hit. I lost you." He didn't dare elaborate. No need to scare his partner.

"My nightmare was the opposite", Ladybug finally whispered. "You pushed me out of the way…and I couldn't fix it. The lucky charm, the miraculous light, none of it helped." Marinette's voice was hoarse. She could barely get the words out while choking back tears. She let go of Chat Noir and turned away. He can't see Ladybug cry. Ladybug was strength and bravery, not a teenage girl that cried over silly dreams.

Chat kept staring at the street below them. He had never seen Ladybug this upset, this vulnerable. It only seemed right to give her time to compose herself. Adrien had never thought of the impact his actions would have on his partner. He never really thought about them in general…all he ever thought about was Ladybug. She always said they were a team, but he still would always put himself on the line for her. Adrien never thought about how scared his lady would be for him. He took a deep breath and looked back to where Ladybug was now standing. She was staring up at the sky, blinking back her tears.

"I worry about you, _mon minou_ ", Ladybug sighed.

"I know", was all he could say. He walked over to her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I also know", he continued, "that you always have my back. And things will always turn out okay."

"What if they don't!" Marinette didn't mean to shout. Chat Noir dropped his arms and stepped back. She kept going.

"What am I going to do without you, kitty? How do I know you're not going to get yourself seriously hurt trying to protect me? I'm not worth it Chat! I can't do this job without you! Making yourself a martyr isn't going to help anyone!" Ladybug was more desperate than angry; they both knew that. It didn't make her any less scary. She bit her lip and clenched her fists. She came here to talk, not yell at her partner; but she meant what she said.

Adrien looked down at Ladybug. _His_ Ladybug. That _he_ had made cry.

"Ladybug", he started, placing both hands on her shoulders this time, "you are worth it." He paused, then continued, "But don't think I'm trying to make myself a _martyr_." Marinette looked down at her feet. Not the best choice of words, perhaps. Chat Noir kept going. "We're a team. That means we look out for each other. And part of your job is to cleanse akumas. And my job is to help you do that. By any means necessary", he added.

"That doesn't give you a right to be reckless", Ladybug muttered. She leaned into Chat and wrapped her arms around him. After a beat, he carefully returned the gesture, wrapping one arm around her and placing a hand behind her head. He buried his face into her hair and sighed. He wanted the moment to last forever, but he knew not to press her boundaries. Chat leaned back a little and brought his hand to Ladybug's chin, tipping it up so he could look her in the eye.

"I promise to be less reckless", he said, "if you stop getting into such dangerous situations in the first place."

Ladybug screwed her face and stuck out her bottom lip. "That's ridiculous Chat. That's my job. That is literally what I do."

"Exactly", Chat said matter-of-factly. Ladybug sighed and rolled her eyes.

"What am I going to do with you, _Chat Noir_ ", she giggled. Adrien grinned from ear to ear. Ladybug's laugh was a gift from heaven that he would fight a thousand akumas just to hear. His silly face made her laugh even harder.

"Chat, you are ridiculous", she said, pushing herself back. Ladybug then lowered her voice, "I'm glad we…had this talk…" She looked off into the distance at nothing in particular.

"Anytime, _my lady_."

Marinette smiled as she turned back to her partner. She knew he could take care of himself. She shouldn't worry so much. That didn't mean she didn't appreciate his presence, though. She jumped up to wrap her arms around his neck in a tight hug. Before he could even respond, she grabbed her yo-yo and threw it to the nearest chimney.

"Until next time, silly kitty", she exclaimed before zipping off towards home.

"Au revoir!" Adrien shouted back into the night. He waited until he couldn't see her anymore before turning around and heading back to his mansion. Both Marinette and Adrien slept very well that night.


End file.
